Title

Authors

Publication Date

1-1-2006

Degree Name

MA in Social Justice in Intercultural Relations

First Advisor

Charles Curry-Smithson

Abstract

Who Are The Natives Here? How Do Non-Hawai'ians Living In Hawai'i perceive Hawai'ian Sovereignty? "Aloha mai no, aloha aku." -"When aloha is given, aloha should be returned.” This paper is an ethnographic study using personal observations, questionnaires, and interviews. It examines the historical displacement of the Native Hawai'ians and the perceptions of Non-Hawai'ians toward the emerging Hawai'ian sovereignty movement. Sovereignty is a buzzword among social justice groups today. For the Native Hawai'ians who are claiming sovereignty over their ceded land and are attempting to become a self-governing Hawai'ian nation, it means more. A small sample size of Non-Hawai'ians living in Hawaii were selected to elicit their perceptions of the rights of indigenous peoples in Hawai'i, their opinions of what sovereignty for Hawai'i would look like, and how they thought they would be affected by sovereignty. The question of sovereignty in any form for Hawai'i has no answers that will satisfy all of the stakeholders. It will be interesting to watch the sovereignty movement as it continues to evolve. If sovereignty in Hawai'i becomes successful, the model can be applied to other places and peoples experiencing similar issues.